Walk This Cloudy Path
by rin2yume
Summary: -On Hiatus, considering rewriting- Three ninja from Kumogakure are going to Konoha for the Chuunin exams. What can they expect when they meet people like Naruto, Gaara, or even someone like Shino? Three OC's and Three characters. Find out later.
1. Practice Spars and Instructions

**Rin: Hey guys! Ah ha ha, I bet some of you are going, "WHAAAAT She's starting ANOTHER story?!" Hell yeah… Anyways, this story will have ass kicking ninjas!! YAYYYYY! :D ZOMG, this is my tenth, my TENTH story! I'm so glad I bought that Japanese Dictionary! Some of the translations might be off, so sorry! Okonomiyaki is anything you want, fried. You will get it after you read.**

**So, I've provided the descriptions for you guys, so you can, like, visualize them. **

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Naruto, though I wished I did.

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With Chuunin exams rapidly approaching, a cell of three genin is training hard. Their home is Kumogakure, The Village Hidden in the Clouds. Kikyo Miyagi is the jonin of their squad. She has short black hair, which makes her look like a man, but when she smiles, anyone could tell that she is a woman. Kikyo has chocolate coloured eyes. She wears the standard shinobi vest and pants. She just wears a long sleeve navy fishnet shirt under this and has indigo shinobi shoes. Her head band is tied around her head, with the metal part facing the right.

She adopted a son, who is in her squad. His name is Kaien. He has honey tinted hair which is long in the front and gets in his eyes, in the back; it is short and flips out at the ends. His eyes are grey with flecks of blue in them. Kaien likes to wear a simple burgundy shirt and khaki shorts which stop right below his knees. He wears his headband like a bandana and blue shinobi shoes upon his feet.

Now, the two girls are twins of the clan called Nekoshi, meaning 'Cat death'. They had silver hair, like the faint glitter of the starts in the sky. Their eyes are a forest green. The elder one, whose name is Isuzu, has extremely long hair with all of it pulled into two pigtails. Her bangs are included with the pigtails as well. She wears a red tank top with a dull grey ¾ length fishnet shirt. She wears comfortable black Capri's and black shinobi sandals.

Her younger twin, Aiki, loves having bangs even when they get in the way, thus the reason why they are always pinned to the left. Aiki's hair is pulled into a high side ponytail, excluding her bangs and two long pieces on either side of her face. She wears a short sleeved kimono, in variable shades of blue or purple. Aiki wears a half length black fishnet shirt underneath. Her kimono is tied on by her headband, right under her breasts. Seeing as her kimono only comes halfway down her thigh, she wears black biker shorts. Like her sister, she wears black shoes.

"Damn it," Isuzu cried, "I can't get the hang of the summoning jutsu!" Her twin, Aiki was immediately at her side.

"Izu," Aiki sighed, using her sister's nickname, "You have to put a lot of chakra into the summoning jutsu, plus you have to do the signs in order! You can't just go, Dog, Monkey, Bird, Boar, Ram! In order." Isuzu pouted, though she was born seven minutes earlier than Aiki, she was less mature than her twin. Another sigh escaped Aiki's lips and she performed the signs for her sister.

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram," Aiki said, doing the hand motions with each word. She then slapped her palm onto the ground. There was a large poof and a large orange cat with a Kumogakure headband sat in front of them.

"Good to see you, Kyo," Aiki smiled.

"Whaddya want?" the cat snapped.

"Nothing in particular," Aiki blinked, "just trying to show Izu how to summon you guys."

"Look, we may have made many contracts with you family," Kyo explained, "but we don't like being summoned for nothing." Isuzu watched in amazement. Her sister was dazzling.

"I understand," Aiki nodded, "you can go now." Kyo grumbled and with a 'poof' the cat was gone.

"Do you understand about the jutsu now?" Aiki asked after turning to Isuzu, who nodded.

"Bravo," a voice cheered. Aiki and Isuzu glanced around and caught sight of their sensei along with her adopted song, their third teammate.

"Aiki, you're amazing," Kikyo smiled, giving Aiki a hearty pat on the back.

"Indeed," the boy said. Kaien, who Isuzu never particularly liked, but he could be nice, for most of the time.

"Right so, tomorrow," Kikyo shouted gleefully, "We set off to Konohagakure, to the Chuunin exams!" Aiki grinned nervously. Isuzu gulped nervously. Kaien just shrugged. His grey eyes were sparkling with thoughts of a challenge though.

We should go train now," the young boy said dryly. Their sensei acknowledged his statement.

"I'm going to teach you something important today," she said, her face suddenly darkening. "These exams are not to be taken lightly. There are some cases where genin die during these exams. Are you all willing to take that risk?"

"Yup," Kaien answered swiftly, his voice more sure than usual.

"If he is, then I am too," Isuzu shouted. She was not about to give up on a chance to prove herself. Confidence now radiated from her every pore. Aiki, on the other hand, felt a little timid about the test. She always had people telling her how talented she was, but that didn't necessarily turn into confidence. Her heart was soft, permeable.

"Aiki," Isuzu smiled, "you have to most talent, plus we could get a chance to use **that** jutsu." Aiki's head snapped up. She pumped her fist. Isuzu had said the exact things that she had needed to hear.

"I'm ready," Aiki said comfortably. She believed that Isuzu would always be there for support.

"Right now, back to training," Kikyo smiled again, her face lighting up. "What do you guys want to train on for the rest of the day?" Aiki's eyes brightened as she raised her hand high.

"Ninjutsu," she exclaimed. Aiki had a natural knack for ninjutsu. Isuzu had a few type based ninjutsu up her sleeve, but she specialized in utilizing her weapons and ninjutsu together. Kaien was deft at genjutsu, but he preferred to use the earth around him to win. The three then trained for hours on end until it was time for their practice spar. Their last mock match before they went to Konoha for the Chuunin exams. They were having a three-way spar.

Aiki started the spar by creating a cloud clone. She sent to clone after her sister and Aiki went for Kaien. Isuzu swiftly dispatched the clone then hid herself in the trees. She was the medic ninja for their team. Isuzu decided to survey her teammates' new jutsu. Aiki did a couple hand signs then concentrated her chakra into her right foot. It glowed and crackled from her lightning chakra. Isuzu smirked. Her sister loved using her Rai Okeru no Jutsu: Lightning Kick. Aiki had a combination of water and lightning chakra, which didn't seem too unusual, since they came from the land of Lightning. Isuzu smacked her palm to her forehead at her own thought.

"Bird, Snake, Monkey, Dragon," Kaien smiled, grunting when he slammed his hands onto the ground. Kaien knew that Aiki would try to use her Lightning Kick, so he had his adoptive mother teach him an earth type technique. After all, he did have earth-based chakra. The ground shook vigorously then shattered, throwing Aiki off balance and making her concentration fade.

"Damn it," Aiki muttered. Isuzu managed to stay in the tree.

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram," she muttered. A small tabby cat appeared in front of her. Isuzu had summoned this cat many times; his name was Tybalt. She leaned down to his ear and whispered a few instructions. The cat nodded and went off. Isuzu took out a kunai. She held the kunai in her hands as she did the Horse and Ram signs. Isuzu closed her eyes and her wind chakra formed the exact jutsu she wanted. Isuzu then readied the kunai and threw it in the direction of her teammates. It was her specialty, Kamisori Kaze Kunai: Razor Wind Kunai. Isuzu smirked and hopped down from the tree. She had an intense strategy in mind. The kunai hit the ground in between Aiki and Kaien. At first, the two didn't think much of the lone kunai, but Aiki suddenly realized what it was.

"Shit," she muttered, "her new jutsu." Aiki then leapt away, but Kaien figured it out too late. Luckily, he jumped away at the last possible second and got away with a bunch of shallow cuts on his arms and legs.

That was the thing about Isuzu's jutsu. It was just an ordinary thrown kunai, until the wind behind it caught up and took you out. All of that happened within a time frame of Ten seconds. Isuzu was still working out the kinks to get the time down to five second. Aiki did a few signs and two more cloud clones appeared. Her clones rushed toward her sibling and Kaien.

"Don't think we can't easily defeat these," Kaien called.

"I don't expect you to defeat them," Aiki chuckled, holding up the Ram hand seal. Both clones turned into a multiple of shuriken. These shuriken were surrounded by some of Aiki's lightning chakra, so if any one hit, it sent a quick spark through you. Aiki them pulled out a scroll and was about to unroll it when a set of teeth sank into her hand. Isuzu grinned and used a substitution jutsu to get away from the shuriken Kaien did some hand seals and put up a barrier of stone.

"Ah, good job Izu," Aiki yelled.

"Sh'right," Isuzu smirked. They all launched themselves head first at each other. They were pretty close to each other with a giant fireball got in between them. Each genin jumped away and the fire blew away to reveal Kikyo.

"Okay," you've shown enough," their sensei smiled. Kaien groaned, shoving his hands into his khaki shorts and his grey eyes flaming with anger. Aiki shrugged and floded her hands together behind her head. Isuzu just crossed her arms.

"Tell you guys what," Kikyo chuckled. "Tonight's takoyaki is on me!"

"We had takoyaki last night," Kaien whined.

"How about okonomiyaki then?" suggested Kikyo.

"Sounds good," Aiki chimed, "I want shrimp in mine!"

"I'll have dog," Isuzu smiled evilly. Everyone stayed silent even a cricket could be heard off in a distance.

"Izu, remember the last time you made a joke like that," Aiki growled. "At the dog breeder's about how you would love to take the puppies back home and then make them into a pie." Isuzu rolled her eyes. She remembered that.

"It's called sarcasm," Isuzu said.

"It's called perversity," Aiki returned, "and you have an excess of it." Isuzu rolled her eyes again. She even knew it was true though. Isuzu didn't say another word and Aiki knew that her twin knew that she was right.

"Good," Aiki smiled. It felt with to both of them. Aiki was soft and light-hearted, somewhat confident, loud mouthed and very serious about the shinobi way. Isuzu was quiet, judgemental, but extremely confident and quite perverse. Sometimes, it felt like Aiki was the older twin to both of them.

"Fruit," Kaien said, dragging the vowel, "perhaps some ice cream." The twins shot him a look of anger. They could both feel their stomachs growling.

"Let's go get some okonomiyaki," shouted Kikyo, punching the air above her with a fist.

They all went to the okonomiyaki stand called 'Ichiban Yaki'. The owner was sitting at his little frying pan.

"Ah, back again Kikyo, Kaien," he chuckled.

"Takoyaki please," Kikyo said. The owner nodded and turned to the children.

"What would you youngsters like?" he asked them.

"I would like some shrimp in my okonomiyaki please," Aiki cheered.

"Any type of fruit is fine," Kaien sighed.

"Crab, please," Isuzu said. The owner nodded and bent over to look in the cupboards and fridge. Each of them took a seat at the little bar.

"Tomorrow, Jaeru," Kikyo said, using the owner's first name, "We're leaving to go to Konoha for the Chuunin exams and we're the only team from Kumo that might be there."

"Ah, how sad," Jaeru commented, "When I was young I tried to be a ninja, but okonomiyaki was my real calling."

"And yours is always the best," Kikyo laughed. The smell of the frying grease wafted its way into Isuzu's nostrils. It smelled so delicious.

"Ladies Isuzu and Aiki," a voice said. The twins turned and saw their grandfather.

"Grandpa," the twins squealed, leaping off their chairs to hug their father's father. The old man hugged the girls back and patted them lightly.

"Your father is calling for you," he told them.

"Is it something important?" Aiki pouted.

"Actually it is," Their grandfather said, "it is about your journey to Konoha."

"Argh, he always has to butt in on our lives," Isuzu groaned. "We'll see you tomorrow morning, Kaien, Kikyo." The mother and son waved as the twins and their grandfather headed home. With each step, Isuzu felt herself tremble a little more. Aiki reached over and took her sister's hand.

"It'll be okay," Aiki whispered. Isuzu nodded and put on a brave face.

"We're home," their grandfather said. They reach the huge gate and it was still open. They wandered in and followed their grandfather as he brought them to their father. Their grandfather dismissed himself leaving Isuzu, Aiki and their father.

"Now, do you two know why I called you here?" he asked them. The twins shook their heads in synchronization.

"Well," he said, pulling out a cigarette. He lit it with the flame of a candle and puffed it out.

"I called you because you two know that you will be able to activate your Nekome soon. Do you two remember how to activate it?" he asked. Both of them nodded.

"Then, good luck, also, I forbid you to use **that jutsu** unless the circumstances absolutely require it," he ordered. Aiki instantly pouted. She wanted to use it so badly. Isuzu folded her arms.

"But," their father continued, "You two know how to use it for communication, correct? In that case, it would be acceptable. You two girls are dismissed now." Aiki and Isuzu bowed to their father and left. They went to their rooms and got ready for bed.

"Dad was exceedingly skeptic tonight, wasn't he?" Isuzu sighed once they had crawled into their beds. Aiki nodded and turned on her side, slowly shutting her eyes.

"Good night," Aiki whispered before drifting off into a sleep.

"Night," Isuzu muttered, falling to the same sleep.

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**Rin: Done the first chapter! I hope you like. Yeah, Kumogakure, that is a cool place. I was originally thinking of having it in Takigakure, the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, but they are creepy as hell. Plus, Kumo's symbol is more fun to draw. Ja-e-ru, if you were wondering. Oh Isuzu, she's so wonderful XD.**

**Please read and Review!!**

**In fact, I won't update until I get five reviews, please and thank you!**


	2. IchaIcha and NightTime Encounters

**Rin: -sigh- No reviews yet. I'm really disappointed actually. I thought I would at least have one review before I put this chapter up. I guess you can't always get what you want, can you? Hah. I'm only realizing this now? How sad my existence is. Anyways, I don't know how everyone received the new story, so I don't know how to improve it. At least I know that my story won't come up if you type in worst fan fiction ever on Google.**

Disclaimer: Anything Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei. I own Aiki, Isuzu, Kaien, and Kikyo.

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Morning came and Aiki and Isuzu were sitting quietly at the gates of Kumogakure. There was a light fog and the air was cool. Both of them had their backpacks packed and set aside. Aiki was pacing impatiently and Isuzu was sitting, her back leaning against a tree.

"Argh, why did I wake us up so early?" Aiki groaned.

"Don't ask me," Isuzu muttered, taking out an orange book from her pouch. She flipped it open and began to read. Aiki paced a little longer, then knelt down beside her sister to see what book she was reading.

"Why are you always reading this?" Aiki asked, snatching the book out of Isuzu's hands.

"Icha Icha Paradise again?" she asked. Isuzu leapt to her feet and held her hand out for Aiki to put the book back. Isuzu frowned. She didn't like it when Aiki interrupted her reading.

"Izu, you know that this book is for adults only, right?" Aiki inquired, putting the book back in Isuzu's hands.

"I know! Why do you think I had to use the Transformation Jutsu to actually buy it?" Isuzu shouted, clutching the book to her chest. Isuzu remembered when she first read the orange book.

She had accidentally stumbled across it in library and read the first chapter before she was caught and the book was thrown away. Isuzu was so touched by the writer's prose that she managed to find it in the bookstore, after many weeks of searching. It was stuck in an adults' only section, so she used the Transformation Jutsu to buy it.

"It's so," Aiki snorted, "perverse, for lack of a better word."

"I read this book, but I found the author's very first book, and that very first one blew me away," Isuzu said dreamily. "He is a genius!" Aiki could only roll her eyes.

"Good morning my lovely pupils," an excited voice shouted. Isuzu hurriedly put her book away in her pouch and went over to pick up her backpack. Aiki went and slung her backpack over her right shoulder. She adjusted a bobby pin and smiled.

"Late night with Jaeru?" Aiki smirked. Kikyo laughed heartily and shook her head.

"She definitely kept me up though," Kaien mumbled. His grey eyes were lined with signs of sleep deprivation.

"Mom kept on snoring, as usual," Kaien continued. Isuzu chuckled and put on her backpack.

"Time to go to Konoha," Kikyo shouted.

"I guess we are the only genin from Kumo going then," Aiki muttered.

"That's right," Kikyo yelled.

"You have the passes, right Mom?" Kaien asked nervously.

"I made sure to pack them last night," Kikyo smiled. "They're in my pouch."

"We're wasting precious sunlight," Isuzu commented, the light becoming checkered across the sky. The four shinobi then sprinted off in the direction of Konoha.

They arrived in Konoha later than week. Apparently all of the foreign genin had to share a large building, something like a hotel. Each room had three small bedrooms, one for each person in the cell and a small common room. Kikyo was told that in a letter. They went into their respective bedrooms and set their things down. Aiki instantly collapsed on the bed and drifted off into a sleep. A dream came to her closed eyes.

"_With the way things are going, we might have to pass the clan leadership on to Aiki," it was her father speaking._

"_But Isuzu is the older of the two," their grandfather said._

"_Yes, but you saw what Aiki can do. She was able to summon Kyo in the matter of a week after making the contract. Plus, Isuzu is still struggling with the simple Kuchiyose," their father stated._

When Aiki opened her eyes, it was late at night. She didn't want to reiterate the things she had overheard her father and grandfather speaking about the week before they had left. Aiki also didn't want to be responsible for the clan. Isuzu had always been excited about being older and being able to take over the clan. Aiki sat up groggily and massaged her temples. She had yet to tell her twin of their father's plans for the next clan leader. Aiki slipped out of her bedroom and to the window of the common room. The moon light shone down on her face. Aiki smiled and then sighed. Throwing open the shutters, she stood on the windowsill and hopped onto the roof.

"The moon is pretty,  
See the stars shine in envy,  
A competition," Aiki recited. She sighed again and clambered up to the peak of the roof. Aiki took a seat and continued to gaze at the moon. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small black book. She flipped through it and found the poem she had just recited.

"Heh, I don't know why, but I always remember this one," she said. Something began to slither on her left wrist. Aiki put the book away and looked at her wrist.

"Sand?" she muttered. She tried to brush it away, but it only tightened.

"What the," Aiki muttered.

"Who are you?" A low voice asked.

"Well maybe you would like to show me your face," Aiki said sarcastically.

"Answer my question, or I'll kill you," the voice muttered. The voice made Aiki's heart pump. The sand began to move up her arm.

"Nekoshi Aiki, of the Nekoshi clan, from Kumogakure, genin," Aiki shouted. "Now would you care to show me your face and tell me your name?" There was a steady silence before Aiki could hear the sound of footsteps on the rooftop. It was a boy, crimson hair, no eyebrows, and turquoise eyes with signs of insomnia. He wore a black shirt, a long white sash going on way, a brown buckled sash with his headband tied around it at the bottom. He carried a beige gourd on his back. It bore the symbol of Sunagakure.

"Are you a genin?" Aiki asked. A slight breeze blew and Aiki noticed the tattoo of the kanji for love over his left eye.

"Sabaku no Gaara, from Sunagakure, genin," he said soberly.

"What do you want exactly?" Aiki inquired.

"I want," Gaara muttered, "you blood." Aiki flinched, but then her heart went back to normal rhythm. If she were killed, then only Isuzu would be able to take over.

"I won't go down without a fight," Aiki said. The sand then flew away from her wrist. Aiki stopped for a second.

"You letting me go?" she asked nervously.

"No," Gaara answered. "If you try to run, then I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Fun-tas-tic-al," Aiki groaned. Gaara glared daggers at the silver-haired girl, but they simply bounced off. She took out some shuriken and threw them at Gaara. He didn't move an inch and the sand protected him.

"Huh," she muttered, "I guess that weapons won't work." Aiki then took out a scroll, the one she was going to use during the last practice fight. She knew that this wasn't practice and that she could really get killed. The sand rushed from Gaara's gourd and then attacked Aiki. She hopped out of the way, careful not to waste any energy. She did some signs and then unrolled the scroll. She poured her lightning type chakra into the scroll and out appeared a cat that glowed with a soft blue light.

"Denki no Neku Jutsu: Art of the Electrical Cat," she said. She pointed to Gaara and signaled for it to attack. The cat immediately charged at Gaara. There was a bright illumination and then Aiki smirked. There was a thick haze from the destruction.

"Heh," Aiki explained, "that cat is entirely made up of lightning chakra. Smarts, doesn't it? If you are able to speak and not paralyzed."

"I didn't feel a thing," Gaara's voice said darkly, a slight bit of amusement in it. The haze began to clear and Gaara stepped out, unscathed.

"No way," Aiki gasped.

"Was that your best?" Gaara asked, a crazed grin growing on his face.

"Damn you," Aiki whispered. The sand billowed around the boy. Kikyo then appeared in between the two genin.

"Kikyo-sensei," Aiki whispered. Kikyo flashed Aiki a trademark smile.

"Go back into your room," she ordered. Aiki shook her head. Kikyo sighed.

"Then stay here until I finished talking to him," she smiled. Kikyo then strode over to Gaara. He just folded his arms and glared at Kikyo.

"Sabaku no Gaara, I presume?" Kikyo inquired. The redheaded youth simply nodded. Aiki was at a distance so that she couldn't hear the words being exchanged, but she could see their lips moving.

"Though you are the Kazekage's son, I, who was originally from Suna, won't tolerate my protégés being killed," Kikyo smiled, leaning in closer that her lips were hidden from Aiki's view. "I know that Baki wouldn't like it if you drew attention to yourself."

"Do you know what's going on?" Gaara asked threatingly.

"Yes, but beside that fact, I wouldn't kill her if I were you," Kikyo told him.

"Why not?" asked Gaara.

"Oh, I think you can find that out on your own," Kikyo smirked. "Let's just say that, she's soft hearted." Gaara just glowered at Kikyo then turned away. Aiki felt a little confused, but began to admire her sensei. Kikyo then disappeared from the rooftop and then Aiki stood to her feet. She no longer felt afraid, in fact, she didn't feel afraid at all. Aiki cursed at herself from having suicidal thoughts, but she sighed.

"I forgive you for attacking me," she said defiantly. Gaara looked back and raised a non-existent eyebrow. He concluded that Aiki must be crazy, but then a mess of thoughts flooded into his brain. Gaara grumbled, the lust for her blood was beginning to crawl into the back of his brain. He disappeared from Aiki's view without another word. Aiki sighed. She could feel it, the other side of Gaara. Not the side she had seen after she had attacked with her Denki no Neko Jutsu, but the side that made him leave without any further words.

"He's just passionate in battle," she told herself aloud, making her way to the edge of the roof. Aiki hopped into the common room and found that Kikyo had pulled the other two from bed. Isuzu was rubbing her eyes ferociously and Kaien's eyes were half open. Kikyo motioned for Aiki to take a seat and she took the spot in between the other two.

"Now that we are all here, I have something important to warn you guys about," their sensei spoke, "On Monday, three days from now, you all will be participating in the Chuunin exams. Knowing that you all just became genin earlier this year, you three are pretty inexperienced."

_Way to put it nicely,_ Kaien thought, eyes opening a little more.

"I have to say that this is no place to fool around, these exams are pretty serious if you ever want to advance in your career as a shinobi," Kikyo continued. "I exchange letters frequently with someone in Sunagakure, and they have told me of Sabaku no Gaara." Aiki perked her ears, while concealing her excitement to hear more of the boy. Isuzu felt shivers run up her spine.

"They told me that this boy," she said, tossing each of the 12 year olds a small picture, "carries the spirit of the one-tailed Shukaku." Aiki held the small photograph gingerly, as if it would fracture in her calloused hands. Isuzu scowled at the crimson haired boy's photo. Kaien just shoved the picture into his pocket and adjusted the buttons on his pajamas.

"Avoid being along with him on a night with a full moon," Kikyo said sternly. Her students shivered, for their sensei was only completely serious if the matter was grave.

"Ah, you guys have a free day tomorrow to do as you please," said Kikyo, reverting back to her usual self as she scurried away. Aiki sighed and got up off the couch. She headed straight for her bedroom. Isuzu and Kaien were now wide awake, slightly frightened by their sensei's warning.

"What do you think all of this means?" Kaien asked.

"Maybe Aiki got into some trouble with this kid," Isuzu speculated.

"Knowing her, she was the one who probably instigated it," Kaien chuckled, "anyways, good night."

"Night," Isuzu smiled. Kaien went back to his bedroom leaving Isuzu in the common room. She took another look at the picture. Gaara's glare stared right back at her.

Meanwhile Kikyo was up on the roof, where she was meeting with a Suna jonin.

"I have a plan you see," she said, glancing over at the Suna-nin. "Of course, all I'm making are assumptions. Assuming that Aiki will break my orders, or try to find a way around them, maybe Gaara will like himself a little more."

"Kikyo, you know what you're saying sounds slightly impossible," the Suna jonin said worriedly.

"I know, Baki, but you have to believe that she will try to help him," Kikyo laughed.

"What if she betrays Gaara? Who knows what will happen then?" Baki asked.

"Aiki is a very loyal child," Kikyo stated, "Even if her sister were to betray her, Aiki would forgive her as if nothing had happened."

"So many years have passed since that incident," Baki commented.

"Which one?" she asked.

"Both Gaara's and the one that made you leave Suna," Baki told her.

"You forgot that I'm not allowed back into Suna," Kikyo smiled, "but I have this feeling that **he** will eventually go there and find the truth behind my past. Ah, the morning approaches."

"Indeed," Baki sighed.

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**Rin: Ah! We've come to the end of another chapter! How very pleased I am to find out how this turned out. I waited until posting it today, because today, July 7, is Kiba's birthday! Happy Birthday Kiba! If you haven't figured out the first pairing, I'll tell you, Gaara X O.C. How very unobvious I was with that one. What can I say? Gaara is my favourite character!  
****Please, please, please, please review, I want to know how well, or how bad, my writing is. Oh, and I didn't take that haiku from any book, I think. I just wrote it on the spot. RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT.  
****REVIEW!**


	3. The Rude Awakening and Exploration

**Rin: Hello again. Rin here, typing this up at…12 30 in the morning. Yes, July 7 was Kiba's birthday, so happy birthday to him. Anyways, a big thanks to my FOUR reviewers. I appreciate the feedback, so I can see what my stories lack and what my stories have. Sorry that this took so long, I've been busy. Plus, I had trouble loading this on. My dad figured it out. The site doesn't like something in the .doc file.**

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Own OC's. (Ugh, Rin want cookies.)

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Kaien was the first to awake. He was used to getting up early, since his adoptive mother was always sleeping in. Kaien had figured out that the smell of fried grease always made Kikyo arise from her slumber. Getting dressed in his usual fashion, Kaien had forgotten that he had to window open. He pulled on his shoes and went to the window. A light breeze blew by, ruffling his honey tinted hair. Kaien sighed, followed by him tying his headband/bandana.

Kaien clambered out the window, not wanting to stir the 'sleeping beauties' in the other rooms. He then slapped himself mentally for use of well, he didn't want to think those words ever again. Kaien hopped from the window and landed on the streets below, just missing a girl with an indigo bobbed haircut.

"W-W-Who are you?" she stammered. Kaien looked at the girl. Her eyes were pale lavender. Kaien estimated that he was three inches taller than the girl. Then, Kaien noticed the headband that hung around her neck. It bore the Leaf symbol. She wore a light gray jacket.

"Ah, so sorry," Kaien smiled, "I guess I just wasn't watching where I was jumping." "She asked you a question, stranger," an eerily monotone voice said. A boy, with a Konoha headband, who was wearing sunglasses, was now standing beside the girl. His grey jacket covered most of his face. Kaien felt shivers run up his spine. Kaien reached back for his pouch and then recalled that he was in Konoha for the Chuunin exams, not to fight unnecessarily.

"Shino, Hinata, good morning," A voice yelled. Another Konoha shinobi appeared, this one having a little dog riding on his head. Kaien gaped at the dog, which caught his stare and began to growl. He had a hooded jacket with dark fur around the cuffs and the rim of the hood.

"What's wrong Akamaru?" the boy asked. He sniffed at the air and began to glare at Kaien. Kaien furrowed his brows and glimpsed away.

"Who are you?" the girl repeated.

"Miyagi Kaien, of Kumogakure," he sighed, pointing to his headband, "and obviously you guys are from Konoha."

"Inuzuka Kiba," the boy with the dog said, "and this is Akamaru."

"Aburame Shino," the creepy boy said.

"Hyuuga Hinata," the girl muttered.

"Are you all genin?" Kaien asked. They nodded their heads simultaneously. Kaien personally wanted to get away from them as soon as he could, but unfortunately for him, that doesn't happen.

"Why are you in Konoha?" Kiba snapped.

"Chuunin Exams," Kaien said simply, turning and marching away. If they yelled something at Kaien, he didn't hear them. He turned his eyes to the morning sky, some clouds floating by. There then was a wall of little insects in front of him. Kaien scowled and promptly threw a kunai at them. The insects moved out of the path of the kunai and subsequently, back into place. Kaien whirled on the spot to face the Konoha genin.

"Why are you really in Konoha?" Kiba snapped, Akamaru growling.

"I told you," Kaien sighed, "I'm here with my team mates, who are still sleeping, for the Chuunin Exams. Do you really think that I would be blatantly wearing my headband if I were here otherwise?" Kiba stopped, obviously dumbfounded by Kaien's reasoning.

"You never know," Shino muttered.

Above their heads, two kunoichi were waking up. Aiki threw her windows open and gazed down to seem what the commotion was. Isuzu was getting dressed when Kiba was yelling. She was not as mad as Aiki, who was still sleeping at that point.

"Kaien, were you going to leave without us?" Aiki yelled down to them. Kaien turned his head up to her and nodded. Isuzu had her window open all night as well and she clicked her tongue. She finished tying her headband around her neck and leapt out of the window. She landed gracefully beside Kaien.

"Nekoshi Isuzu, of Kumogakure," Isuzu said quickly, not wanting any of them to ask her for her name. She had been eavesdropping long enough to hear their names. Aiki, on the other hand, was still up in her room, getting dressed. She already had her fishnet shirt on, so she leaned out the now opened window.

"Don't leave without me," she yelled at her partners.

"Like I would leave without my twin sister," Isuzu muttered under her breath. Kaien quickly elbowed her and she reacted melodramatically. They received puzzled looks from the Konoha genin, which made them instantly plaster fake smiles on their faces. Back in her room, Aiki was pulling her hair into the side ponytail and pinning her bangs aside. Whilst doing this, her mind was wandering. She yawned, which reminded her of how little sleep she had and of her encounter with the Sand genin. The corner of Aiki's lips curled.

"Aiki, you'd better get down here soon, or we'll leave without you," her sister called. Aiki quickly pulled on her kimono (or whatever you would call it) and tied her headband to hold it in place. She almost literally dove out of the window, but as she and Isuzu was from a Cat clan, she landed on her feet. Aiki was congratulated with a glare from Isuzu. Kaien nodded toward the three genin, who were equally freaked out, except for Shino, who probably doesn't get freaked out considering that her lets bugs live inside him…

Anyways, Aiki looked over at them and smiled.

"I'm Nekoshi Aiki," she smiled, throwing her arms over Isuzu's shoulder, "and this is my twin sibling, Isuzu." There was no response from Kiba, Hinata, nor Shino, but who would really expect Shino to answer. Kaien, whose attention span was a little lacking at that moment, sighed while turning to walk away.

"See you in the Chuunin exams," Isuzu muttered, chasing after Kaien. Aiki frowned and apologized to the Konoha shinobi before running after her friends.

Once they were out of ear shot, Aiki lightly hit both Kaien and Isuzu on the back of the head.

"What was that for?" Kaien snapped.

"For being rude and just walking away, both of you," Aiki scolded.

"It doesn't matter," Isuzu sighed, "besides, we have a free day today, to do whatever we want!" She ran out in front of the pack and threw her arms up toward the sky. She spun a little, before getting a glare from her twin. Aiki yawned again, this time, her mouth opening wide.

"Not enough sleep?" Kaien asked, though he kind of already knew the answer.

"I guess, but it doesn't help either when you have a recurring dream," Aiki groaned. She scratched the back of her head and then yawned again. Isuzu felt a little better now, though she was still half asleep, but she couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched. Isuzu caught a glimpse of some movement within the trees. She stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes to listen for a clue as to what the movement was. There was no noise except for the footsteps and whispers of her team mates.

"She stopped," Kaien muttered. "Do you know what she's doing?"

"Truthfully, I have no clue what she's doing," Aiki whispered. The two walked up behind Isuzu, who was still in listening mode.

"Izu, what are you doing?" Aiki said loudly.

"I'm listening," Isuzu answered calmly, "so that if someone is thinking of ambushing us, they won't get to hurt you."

"Isuzu, I'm not a child, I'm only seven minutes younger than you," Aiki sighed, rolling her eyes. "Plus, you're the medic-nin of our group." Kaien stepped in between the siblings before unwarranted bickering could ensue.

"Stop it you two," Kaien said calmly. "We should decide on choices of what to do before we start the bickering."

"Kaien is right, surprisingly enough," Aiki gasped.

"I say that we train," Isuzu chimed.

"I say that we explore the village, and train," Aiki smiled.

"I say that we just take it easy," Kaien sighed.

"How about we do everything?" said a nauseatingly eager voice. None of our little Cloud genin was particularly wide awake, but they all could recognize the voice. The figure that Isuzu had sensed was Kikyo, who was lurking in the trees for the right time to make an entrance. Kikyo jumped from the tree and onto the ground in front of them.

"I thought that you said that we had a free day?" asked Aiki.

"Well, I was thinking of training a little bit too," Kikyo laughed, scratching the back of her neck. The truth was that she was worried about what her students would do that entire day, not to mention that Aiki was marked by Gaara. Kaien sensed the weird vibe coming off of his adoptive mother.

_It's like she's hiding something from us, _he thought. Kaien shrugged it off, not really caring what it was. A loud yawn broke the silence.

"I believe that Isuzu and Aiki wanted to train, so we'll do that last," Kikyo chuckled. There was a groan from both Isuzu and Aiki and a small smile from Kaien. Kikyo saw her students were not amused, but she would make sure that they would get through the day safe and sound.

"We will explore the village, considering it is your first time here," Kikyo added under her breath, "and probably not your last."

"Did you say something Kikyo-sensei?" Isuzu snapped.

"Nope, nothing at all," Kikyo smiled. Isuzu raised an eyebrow, but Kikyo kept her face lit up.

"Where should we go first?" Aiki asked.

"I heard that there was a good ramen place in Konoha," Kaien muttered.

"Let's go for it," Kikyo bellowed. Her voice rang out and a few of the passer-bys' heads turned. Kikyo simply smiled while the kids were felling embarrassed.

"Mom, you are utterly embarrassing," Kaien said bluntly.

"It's what I do," she smiled. She ushered then to walk ahead of her, though she knew where she was going. The genin walked ahead, not exchanging any words. They continued on in silence, as the awkwardness grew. Aiki gradually stopped yawning and Isuzu began to feel totally awake. Kaien was, well, just himself. They took multiple turns and even dashed through narrow alleyways. They found themselves, in the Konoha Tea Avenue.

"Let's just face it," Kaien muttered, "we're lost."

"Nah," Isuzu said, "I think that we're just taking a detour."

"A very long detour," Aiki muttered. They stopped in the middle of the road and glanced around. There were people scurrying along, buying all varieties of tea and roasted chestnuts.

"I'm going to buy some chestnuts," Aiki said, heading toward a stand, pulling out some money.

"I guess we'll wait for you then," Isuzu said, rolling her eyes a little. Aiki paid for two servings and went back with her team mates. She immediately opened one package and shoved the other one into her pouch. She reached into the bag and pulled out some chestnuts. Aiki popped a few into her mouth and chewed.

"Oh my god," she said with her mouth full. Isuzu and Kaien looked from her to each other, since all they heard was some muffled ramblings. Aiki held out the bag to them. She swallowed what she had in her mouth.

"Try some," she offered, shaking the bag a little. Isuzu and Kaien reached in and took a few. They chewed and the delectable flavours were spread all over their tongues.

"Mm," Isuzu and Kaien hummed. They happily ate their chestnuts and suddenly realized that Kikyo had disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Isuzu groaned.

"Who really knows," Kaien sighed. "She's always disappearing on me whenever we go shopping down at the market, not after slipping me some money and a shopping list."

"Poor Kaien," Aiki said sarcastically. The trio laughed, their slight hunger sated by the chestnuts. Aiki crumpled the empty bag and tossed it into the nearest container.

The genin headed down the avenue, checking out each little stand and sampling different teas. They came to a shop called Amaguriama. Three people, who were probably about their age were sitting front and eating. One was quite plump with sandy brown and a weird shaped headband. He had the largest portion and was stuffing it in his face. The middle one was a girl with straw tinted hair and purple clothing. She was quite thin, and her headband hung just below her hips. The last one had jet black hair pulled back into a little tuft. His ears were pierced and his headband was pinned to his small shirt. They ate happily.

"Shikamaru, will you buy me some more food?" the plump one whined.

"Choji, you practically ate out the whole store," the girl shouted.

"Just because you worry about your figure, Ino," the last one muttered.

"Well, excuse me Shikamaru," the girl groaned. Our little genin were intrigued by this scene so they moved closer, though warily.

"We have onlookers," the last one said, pointing to the gang. When the diners turned their heads, the group flinched a little.

"Who are you?" the girl snapped.

"We're from Kumogakure," Kaien stated.

"We can see that," the last one said.

"That's Nekoshi Aiki and Miyagi Kaien," Isuzu pointed out, "and I'm Nekoshi Isuzu."

"Yamanaka Ino," the girl said.

"Akimichi Choji," the plump boy chirped with his mouth full of whatever he was eating.

"Nara Shikamaru," the last one said quite lazily.

"Why are ninja from Kumogakure here?" asked Ino.

"It's called the Chuunin exams," Isuzu said rolling her eyes.

"No need to be rude about it, Izu," Aiki whispered in an angry tone.

"Shush," Kaien said. "Is the food any good here?"

"I love it," Choji cheered.

"Choji you love any type of food," Ino snapped.

"Just because I actually like food, Ino," Choji griped.

"Girls like skinny boys and vice versa," Ino scolded.

"Is that true?" Aiki whispered to Isuzu.

"Not really," Isuzu muttered back.

"Come on, you two," Shikamaru said, standing up and moving in front of the arguing shinobi. "He asked a simple question."

"It doesn't matter any more," Kaien sighed, "I think I lost my appetite."

"Besides, we just ate a bunch of chestnuts earlier," Aiki smiled.

"See you guys in the Chuunin exams, I guess," Isuzu said, seizing Aiki and Kaien's wrists and dragging them away.

"See you later," Aiki called.

They then headed off into an alleyway, just to try a short cut. They walked through it and noticed that there was a group of three people.

The first boy that they noticed had blond hair and wore a bright orange and blue jumpsuit. The only girl had long pink hair and wore a red dress. The other boy wore a blue shirt and beige shorts, and his navy hair was spiked up in the back. Each one of them had a headband that had the Leaf symbol on it. Our little Kumo-genin approached them with caution, in case they tried to attack.

"Hey, more foreign ninja," the one clad in orange shouted.

"Can't you keep still for one second, Naruto?" the pink-haired one asked.

"Hn," the last one grunted. Before they knew it, the orange one, whom they assumed was named Naruto, had run over to the Cloud genin.

(A/N: This is probably right after the encounter with The Sand Siblings…It'll probably come up.)

"There is even Cloud Genin coming for the Chuunin exams," Naruto chuckled. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Dattebayo!"

"No comment," Isuzu said. Aiki elbowed her twin in the side.

"That was rude," she muttered, pulling her aside.

"I really didn't have any comment," Isuzu retorted.

"That still was rude, we don't even know them," Aiki muttered.

"Miyagi Kaien," Kaien simply stated, glancing at the twins. They rushed back over. Aiki had a smile on her face and Isuzu had a scowl.

"Haruno Sakura," the pink-haired one said. The last one didn't say anything, just simply stood there.

"I'm Nekoshi Aiki, and this is my twin, Isuzu," Aiki introduced, Isuzu raising her hand when her name was mentioned.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the other boy finally said, in an aloof kind of way.

"Sasuke, you are so cool," Sakura muttered out loud. Then, Naruto looked at Sasuke with a look of absolute jealousy.

"I don't think that he's that great," Isuzu said.

"Me neither," Aiki agreed, "but he does have that, 'I'm silent, but elite and all the girls fall for me' look-slash-attitude going for him."

"Are you here for the Chuunin exams?" Naruto asked suddenly.

"How did you know?" Kaien gasped.

"We just came by some freaks from Suna," Sakura said.

"One had red and carried a gourd," Sasuke muttered.

"Gaara," Aiki said almost breathlessly.

"How did you know?" Sasuke inquired.

"You don't want to know," Aiki said.

"He's a freak that's for sure," Isuzu muttered. Aiki then began to feel a little uneasy. She wondered what he was doing, wandering around.

"He had two other people with him," Naruto chipped in.

"Probably his team mates," Sakura commented.

"The other guy was named Kankuro, but I don't think we learned the girl's name," Naruto said.

"True enough, true enough, but do you guys have your passes? We can't let you go without showing them to us," Sakura said.

"I think my mother gave it to me," Kaien sighed, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a small little card with a stamp on it.

"Oh okay," Sakura said.

"See you at the Chuunin exams then," Aiki smiled.

"Dattebayo," Naruto hollered. The teams went their separate ways, but it was not the end of the day yet. It's called night time.

* * *

**Rin: Once again, I'm sorry that this took so long, but I found out that I'm going to England in the middle of August. YAY! I am so excited. Anyways, I hope that you liked this new installment of this story. I must say, that I practically rewrote the ENTIRE chapter I had for this. I APOLOGIZE TO THE WORLD!! lmao. Okami-san is funny.**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW, or else I'll think that you readers hate my writing and I may never ever write again…**


	4. Battle and Ramen

**Rin: I thought that I should give you readers another chapter before I go away for a week. To make up for all that time I couldn't figure out how to upload the file. I had to take out a whole little thing from the original copy…  
****-sweatdrop-  
I'm spending/had spent/was going to spend all night to type this up for you readers.**

Disclaimer: Naruto and company belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own the OC's.

* * *

It was nighttime; Aiki and Isuzu were wandering the streets. It was unusual for them, but for some reason, neither Isuzu nor Aiki were able to sleep. Aiki was chatting away blissfully unaware of the presence that Isuzu felt. Isuzu shoved her hand into the pocket that had the photograph of Gaara in it. She took it in her hand and crushed the picture. Aiki stopped talking, beginning to feel the hairs on the nape of her neck standing up. To her, she felt like she was in some sort of horror movie.

"Izu," Aiki whispered.

"What?" she responded, anger residing in her voice because her concentration was broken. They maintained their pace down the almost deserted street.

"Is it just me or do you think someone is following us?" Aiki muttered.

"I know that _something_ is following us," Isuzu said, "but -"

"I don't think a _thing_ could be following us," Aiki interjected.

"As I was saying," Isuzu sighed, still feeling irate, "great, now I forget." They stopped and looked around.

Isuzu could feel Aiki's uneasiness as if it were her own. She couldn't understand why her twin was anxious, and Isuzu wondered if it had something to do with Gaara. She had felt her uneasiness when Sasuke mentioned the red hair and the fact at the boy carried a gourd. Isuzu stared intently at Aiki, judging her actions.

Aiki's stomach was a storm of mixed emotions. She wanted to see Gaara, wanted to talk to him. It tore at her heart, and she didn't even know why all of this was happening to her. Aiki closed her eyes and focused on the gentle thrumming of her heart.

_Calm down,_ she thought quietly. Aiki's gentle command on her body was not working. Instead, her heart sped up.

"It's getting closer," Isuzu said, breaking Aiki's concentration.

"I noticed," Aiki muttered. "We can't fight in the streets if it comes to that, so let's lure him to a forest." Isuzu nodded at the command. They then sprinted off and they felt the presence following them as well. Their adrenaline began pumping, the rush giving them the extra boost they needed. The twins reached a desolate training ground and stopped.

"You can come out now," Aiki yelled, "we already know that you're there."

"Smart," a low voice muttered. Out of the shadows appeared the young Suna genin. His appearance immediately made Aiki's heart thump louder.

"I assume that you're Sabaku no Gaara?" Isuzu asked condescendingly. "You're even uglier in -"

"Shut up," Aiki snapped, clasping a hand over Isuzu's mouth. "You're being rude. He's the Kazekage's son." Suddenly, Gaara clutched the left side of his face. He groaned for a second.

"It doesn't matter Mother," Gaara growled to himself, "You know that rude people's blood tastes gross."

"What did you just say?" Isuzu yelled, freeing herself from Aiki's grasp. Gaara didn't acknowledge the outburst.

"To err is human, to forgive, divine," Aiki recited. She reached into her pouch and pulled out the tiny black book.

"A Shinobi's death,  
guarding all of their comrades,  
such a fitting way," Aiki read. She sighed. That haiku was too morbid. She flipped through its pages and found a better haiku.

"To hide emotions,  
the way of the shinobi,  
never love again?" Aiki recited. She liked that poem better. Aiki looked up from her book to see Isuzu attacking Gaara. She continued to throw kunai at Gaara, but the sand blocked her attacks. Isuzu then did some hand signs and threw a kunai.

'Kamisori Kaze Kunai: Razor Wind Knives.' The kunai hit the wall of sand, but then the wind behind it and the sand fly everywhere.

"You're open now," Isuzu smirked running in at Gaara, performing hand signs at unrecognizable speed. Aiki began to get angry. She pulled out some shuriken and attached them to fishing line. Aiki threw the shuriken so that the sailed around Isuzu and back around a tree. The fishing line pinned Isuzu to the defenseless tree.

"Aiki, I have to fight him," Isuzu shouted, struggling to be released from her bonds.

"Stop being so pig headed Izu, we'll have to work as a team," Aiki yelled back. "Besides, it'd be easier to finish him off with that jutsu." Isuzu smirked and Aiki went over to her and cut Isuzu from her bonds. The twins then proceeded with performing the hand signs in sync and ending on the special hand sign. Their auras began to glow and then intertwined with the other. Their eyes went white and then the jutsu was activated. Their minds became one and moved in unison.

'Kumiawase no Jutsu: The Art of Uniting!' The twins began to charge at the still stoic Gaara. He put his hands in a hand seal and began to form a shell of sand around his body. The twins hit the shell, but nothing happened. They tried and tired again, but nothing could penetrate the shell. They began the sequence of hand signs that they could only use when they had this jutsu activated.

"Stop this right now," a perky voice yelled. Both of the twins flinched; they knew that voice. They deactivated the jutsu, only to have Kikyo and Baki land in between them and Gaara. Baki went over to Gaara's shell and tapped on the outside.

"Gaara, come out now," Baki commanded. There was no response from inside the shell.

"You two," Kikyo frowned, looming over the twins, "are coming with me. We're going back to the complex." The twins groaned, sad that their midnight fight came to its early demise. So, Kikyo took the twins back to their rooms and locked their windows and the front door shut.

-x-

Meanwhile, Kaien had snuck out and was wandering the streets. He knew that it was just aimless, but he still felt like something was pulling him somewhere. Kaien had somehow found himself at the ramen stand that he and his team couldn't manage to find. For some reason he didn't want to find it earlier that day. Kaien went up to the stand and held the curtains back. He instantly recognized the orange jumpsuit.

"Naruto?" stuttered Kaien. The blond boy turned around on his seat. Kaien stifled a laugh when he saw that the ramen broth was all over Naruto's face. Naruto slurped up the rest of the noodles and smiled at Kaien.

"Kaien, right?" asked Naruto, earning a nod from Kaien. "Come sit here."

"Oh Naruto, you've never brought him here before," the owner of Ichiraku Ramen said. He was a somewhat bulky man, with a kind smile and his chef's clothing was white.

"Mister Teuchi, he's from Kumogakure," Naruto smiled.

"Would you like to try some of our ramen?" Teuchi inquired. Kaien nodded, took the stool next to Naruto, and reached for his wallet, but Teuchi held his hand up.

"This one's on the house," he grinned.

"Does that mean I get a free one too?" Naruto asked eagerly, almost leaping off of his seat.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you still have to pay," The owner chuckled. Subsequently, Naruto's face fell. Kaien sighed and leaned over to Naruto.

"Whatever I don't finish, you can have, okay?" Kaien muttered. Naruto then nodded and sat still for one hundredth of a second. He fidgeted in his seat, waiting for Kaien's ramen to be cooked.

"Naruto, do you think that you'll become a Chuunin in this test?" Kaien asked, trying to make small talk. He really hated that kind of thing, but with someone so fidgety like Naruto, it would be a relief.

"I don't think I am, I know I am," Naruto grinned. "Besides, you're looking at the future Hokage, Dattebayo!" Kaien couldn't hold back his laughter this time.

"I'm serious," Naruto interrupted.

"I know, but the way you said it was funny," Kaien coughed. He calmed himself down in time for his ramen to be placed in front of him.

"Here you go, er, I didn't catch your name," Teuchi said.

"Miyagi Kaien," he smiled, gaping at the bowl in front of him. It was a large bowl, larger than he would probably eat, but then again, it looked delicious. Kaien said his grace and split his chopsticks. He began to slurp at the noodles, everything tasting delicious.

(A/N: Cut through the eating scene…)

Kaien had half finished the bowl when he felt so bloated. Kaien set his chopsticks down and slid the bowl over to Naruto.

"It's about time," Naruto exclaimed.

"So full," Kaien muttered.

"Awesome, you left the kamaboko! That's my favourite part, Dattebayo," Naruto cheered. Kaien nodded incoherently as he watched Naruto gobble up the rest of the ramen.

"Well, Kaien, how did you like it?" Teuchi asked.

"It was delicious," Kaien smiled.

"That's good," Teuchi smiled. Kaien nodded and got up off of his stool.

"Where're you going?" Naruto inquired.

"I don't know. I'm going to wander my way back to the complex," Kaien sighed. "I'll see you later though, Naruto."

"Definitely will," Naruto shouted. Kaien half smiled before turning his back on the blond ninja. He was about halfway back to the complex when his adoptive mother appeared in front of him.

"Kaien, where were you?" she asked, voice sounding a little annoyed.

"I ended up at Ichiraku Ramen, seeing Naruto, and sharing a bowl of ramen with him," Kaien said soberly. He then reached up and twisted the bangs that fell into his eyes. Kikyo put her hand on her hips.

"Well, too bad young man, I am bringing you back to the complex," she said.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong," Kaien protested.

"Nuh-uh," Kikyo sighed, "You snuck out. That is something wrong." Kaien rolled his eyes and forced his hands into his pockets. Kikyo then picked up Kaien and slung him over her shoulder.

"I'm still bringing you back to the complex," she chuckled.

"I never knew my mother could be so sadistic," Kaien murmured.

"I could be spanking you," Kikyo laughed.

"I never said anything," Kaien muttered. Kikyo then too him back as well to the complex and locked his window. He too, was forced to sleep.

* * *

**Rin: I'm sorry that this one was so short… I just wanted you readers to have something of mine to read before I went away. Every paragraph is short so it makes it choppy... -sweatdrop- READ AND REVIEW! Or I shall findeth thou knaves and kill you!**

Just kidding –smile- Bye!!


	5. Do You See What I See?

**Rin: OMG. I'm such a bad person. I've kept you all waiting for this chapter…You probably have forgotten about Isuzu, Aiki and Kaien. –sobs- I'm so sorry that I couldn't get this out earlier… To go off in an entirely different direction, the names.  
Isuzu: Isuzu Sohma. I think the name suits her well.  
Aiki: Would come from the kanji 'Love' and 'Tree'. So She's a tree of love!(?)  
Kaien: I just liked this name for some reason, then I remembered that the president of the Cross Academy is named Kaien. –laugh-  
Kikyo: Inuyasha. 'nuff said.  
ON WITH THE STORY!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…or Gaara… Just my OC's –sob-

* * *

The days passed, our little genin trained and their lives went on. There were no more attacks on Aiki from Gaara, as Isuzu was sure of it to stay that way. Kaien practically was out every night, having ramen with Naruto, chatting. Much to Kaien's disdain, Naruto frequently repeated what his dream was. Whenever Naruto asked Kaien about his dream, he would change the subject.

And poor Naruto, being the dense little boy that he was, fell for it every time. Truth was, Kaien didn't want to talk about his dream. The first part of it involved finding out about his biological parents. The second part was to become a Chuunin. The third and final part was to become a teacher at the academy in Kumogakure. It was a delicate subject for him. He had always been a curious boy, and whenever he learned something new, Kaien immediately wanted to share it with someone. Teach them what he knew, you might say.

Now, to get back to the plot line. It was the first day of the exams. They were all quite nervous, when they went to the Konoha academy. It was a large building, grey, well, mostly large. The team went into the building and found their way to room 301 only to have it guarded by some genin who claimed that they were keeping the weaklings out. A girl with brown buns of hair and a pink Chinese-style shirt went up to the kids.

"Please, we're begging you to let us in," she said. The girl was quickly kicked away by the genin guarding the door.

"Hey, that's not nice," Aiki yelled.

"Does the punk who said that wanna fight?" The one on the right sneered. Aiki stepped forward.

"I'll fight if you're up to it," Aiki smirked.

"I think you misunderstand," the one on the right said.

"We're just trying to spare you," the left on sighed. "The Chuunin exams are extremely difficult, and we should now. We've failed three times so far. There are people who made it, then immediately gave up being shinobi. Others have ended up crippled, and some have even been reduced to vegetables. We've seen it all!"

"Besides, Chuunin are cell commanders, they lead their units," the one who seemed to have a cold explained. "The responsibilities of failed missions and dead shinobi rest firmly on their shoulders. And you little punks have the nerve to apply? We're saving a step by weeding out the obvious losers beforehand." The corner of Kaien's mouth twitched. That was completely unfair. Everyone deserves a fair chance at becoming a Chuunin. At least, that's what he thought.

"That sounds good in theory," someone said. "But you'd better let me through and drop the force field illusion you've created while you're at it." Out appeared Sasuke, with Sakura and Naruto in tow. There was a probably a rupture of squeals from fan girls in that hallway.

"I have business on the third floor," Sasuke continued. Then there were whispers, wondering what the Uchiha was talking about. Isuzu herself raised and eyebrow, though she had a fairly good idea of what he was talking about.

"So you figured it out, eh?" the left one muttered.

"You probably were the first to notice it, right Sakura?" Sasuke said. She let out a little gasp, and Aiki noticed Sasuke winking at her.

"You're the most analytical and the best in our cell at understanding the art of illusion," Sasuke complimented. Sakura looked at Sasuke with a look of adoration then looked up at the genin blocking the door.

"Of course I noticed it," Sakura said confidently. "Obviously, we're still on the second floor."

"Of course," Naruto nodded. The sign on the door changed from 301 to 201. Aiki gasped and mentally scolded herself for not noticing it quicker. Isuzu sighed as she thought something was up. Kaien just stood there, looking like, himself.

"Hey, not bad, but seeing through it, is not enough," the one on the right said, then getting ready to kick Sasuke. Sasuke leaned over for a counter attack kick, but someone garbed in a green spandex-like suit quickly get himself in between the two genin and stopped their kicks.

_Wow, he's fast, _Isuzu thought, making a mental note. _Guy in green jumpsuit thing is uber fast. Fast enough to stop two guy's kicks. _Aiki looked at her twin. She sighed aloud. Aiki knew that Isuzu was in thinking mode. Well, to put it more specifically, her mental notebook mode. Isuzu kept so many mental notes that she would need at least three or four scrolls to hold all that she remembered. Aiki seized her twin's wrist and dragged her away.

"Kaien, we're heading out," Aiki called, "time to take the Chuunin exam!" Kaien broke out of whatever trance he was in and followed after them. He caught up to them and they went into the REAL examination room. They entered and it was already full of genin from villages around the world.

"Wow," Kaien quietly gasped, "it's really crowded." Isuzu rolled her eyes.

"Silly Kaien, of course it's crowded, it's the Chuunin exams," Aiki chuckled, playfully knocked on Kaien's head with her fist. Her eyes then proceeded to drift around the room, as if they were searching. Aiki caught the tuft of red hair and then the rest of Gaara. He caught her eyes staring at him. Aiki smiled, earning a frown and an arms crossing from Gaara. The message for her to leave him alone was clear and Aiki quickly looked away. Isuzu noticed her sister's sudden defeated posture, and went to give her a quick hug. The proctor waltzed into the room and instructed everyone to pick a number. Aiki and Isuzu were separated, one at the front of the room, the other at the back. Kaien was in the middle, right at the aisle, the shinobi staring daggers at him, and probably everyone else in the room.

_So unnerving,_ Kaien thought.

"AND START," Ibiki Morino, the name of the proctor shouted.

* * *

**Rin: I'm SO SORRY! It's really short, but it's better than nothing…I think I will skip over the entire testing part…let me know if you don't want that to happen. Then I will strain my mind to come up with something creative for the testing bit. If not, then I will give it a brief summary in the next chapter and go on to THE SECOND EXAM!!!**


End file.
